Moving your pet to France from the USA (step by step) - Interview
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Meet an American couple who moved to France with their 70lb golden retriever, Annie, and share the process and experience of relocating safely and comfortably with their pet.
Our Move-to-France resource list: unique-writer-...
About Us:
We are an American family of 3 who moved to France for an extended stay adventure in 2022.
We wanted to experience Europe as more than rushed tourists on a 10-day vacation. To dive into the culture, learn a new language, experience daily life, and truly know what it was like to work and live somewhere other than the US.
In France, we set up a business, enrolled in a middle school, found housing, and even got our cat a European passport!
While in the US preparing to leave, the information we found about staying in France for longer than a short vacation was directed at college students, young & single digital nomads, or retirees. Where was the useful information for families like us?
With a year under our belts in France, we created Baguette Bound to pass on what we have learned. We hope to make it easier and inspire other families who are interested in experiencing a long stay or moving to France with their families. Stay tuned for more information on French culture, local travel ideas, and the logistics of moving across the world.
Contact us or follow our journey @ baguettebound....
PLEASE NOTE: While we love hearing from viewers, we do not give personalized advice on moving to France by email.
If you'd like counsel specific to your situation, we offer 1:1 consultations that can be booked through our website www.baguettebound.com
#movetofrance #france #americansinfrance #expatlife #expatinfrance #baguettebound #movingtofrance #frenchlife #frenchlifestyle #frenchliving #petrelocation
Hopefully, I super helpful bit of info. There is an airline that will allow you to take your mid size dog from the US to Paris or Nice. La Compagnie is all business class, but I find the fares are closer to premium economy on the big airlines. A life saver.
BTW, they fly to France from Newark.
We are considering a move from NY to France and have 4 dogs that we would bring with us. Monumental adventure!
For us, 2 cats and one dog!
Fingernail clippers, poop bags. Wonderful vlog, it puts us pet owners at ease a bit and prepares us for the rough bits.
I agree with the last comment in the video, thank you Raina and Jason for your videos. The information you talk about is very valuable and helpful.
Thanks for covering this. I have a (will be 10.5 YOA) 66-70 lb lab mix and a (will be 5 YOA) 40 lb chi/golden/shih tsu mix to move over. I am outside of Austin. I am seriously looking at moving short term for ~month to wherever in the US has the shortest flight to Paris or Toulouse before I emigrate from the US, just to make sure their time in the hold is minimal.
I am so happy my dogs' current vet - rural Central Texas - is a USDA certified Category II vet (all animals!). 🥰
I drove from California to Atlanta Georgia with my dog so that I would have a short, direct flight to Paris. One of the best decisions that I've ever made.
May I get the vet’s information? I plan on flying to France in few months and looking for a vet. Thanks a bunch. I am in San Antonio now.
I bought my pied a terre first. I’m using it as my second home, but it has no yard (garden), only a park down the street. I have two dogs and two cats. I plan to bring them all eventually, but once I sell my U.S. home I’ll have the option to buy a little bigger place with a garden. There are vets and dog groomers within walking distance from my townhome, so once my pets get there they will be fine. The French take their small dogs everywhere and cats are sometimes even welcome in small cafes if they are quiet and stay with their owners. I’ve seen that in the heart of Paris, though it was unusual. Thank you for doing this video!!
Thank you for sharing ❤.
Nice sharing.... and welcome to France for this lovely couple.
I traveled with a dog to Prague, Czech Republic. She was diabetic and we had to carry syringes and insulin, and translated papers into German as we went via Frankfurt. After allllll the hassle and worry and travel, we carried her out of the airport with nothing. No one checked/asked/looked. I joked and said she could have been a rabid raccoon and no one would have noticed!
I know it's expensive, but we used K9 Jets (Teterboro NJ to Paris) and have nothing but good things to say about them. We didn't have to worry about the cage, it included a "regular human" seat, and you can bring up to 2 dogs under 50 lbs, or 1 above 50 lbs. Plus no separation and MUCH less anxiety.
We looked at K9 from Los Angeles to Teterboro then to Paris. The cost was $34,000. We ended up taking Alaska and La Compagnie which was around $7500. We have dogs under 15lbs.
@@NoObligationToday It probably doesn't make financial sense to bring both people in K9 Jets. One person can have up to 2 dogs up to 50 lbs each. It's not for dogs that can fit in the cabin under the seats. We flew separately (one with the dog, one via normal flight) to save money. I'm glad you found something that works for you.
@@StephenLester-kl7oy I do understand that that bigger dogs have less choices. I would have paid the money rather than have my dogs fey in cargo!
This was so great!
Great content, as usual!
Thank you so very much for this thorough, informative and reassuring video. I have two cats that I plan to keep when I move to France within the next year. They were rescue kittens I got when I was living in Mexico that I brought back to the US when I returned during Covid. I had to fly my daughter from Nashville to Mexico to help with the second cat. We each had a cat under the seats in front of us. I have to research whether I can keep one cat in the cabin with me and another cat in the baggage hold, or if I’ll need to once again fly my daughter over with me to repeat the same process. It all seems so stressful to add onto an already overwhelming process. Yikes! This video helps me understand that I’m not the only person who has done this and that the airlines are also equipped and experienced with the process. Still…it’s a nail biter for me. 😮
Time to frame your poster with Eiffel Tower….nice gold toned frame like those at the museums😊
Hello. Great videos and information. About bringing your pet on the Queen Mary 2: first, it's only a week long crossing, not two; second, the kennel is a dedicated area on one of the upper decks of the ship, with a large area for them to be out in the fresh air with you during visiting hours, or a ship's crew attendant(s) (there is even a fire hydrant and a British lamp post for the dogs to do their thing on) who feeds and walks them; three, they are, however, not allowed in the passenger areas/cabins, so do have to reside in their cages outside of visiting hours; four, it is expensive, and you have to book quite far in advance, for there is limited space. This is how we're planning on getting our pet to France when we move in a few years.
Thanks for these additional details!
Love your videos! Always a pleasure to watch and so informative. Flying with 2 little dogs to France in December and in the midst of figuring that all out now. Getting my visa was easy compared to this!
The most important thing there is.
Nice video, but it would have been nice to kinda have a price range of how much it cost to take their dog. I know prices change from airline to airline and overtime but at least an idea.
Thank you for these great videos! Any advice on how to get pet passports once you land in France?
We arrivée to Paris on October 27th. We are from California And flew from SFO to New Jersey on Alaska first class which has more room for the carrier. We spent the night and then we took a red eye on La Compagnie from New Jersey to Paris. Great experience from both airlines. La Compagnie allows pets up to 31lbs and I read very positive comments Also it is all business class. Prices are very reasonable. Our two dogs are 15lbs and 12lbs. They are both rescues and one has a Don Knotts personality and the other is more submissive. We started crate training nine months ahead of time. This was crucial due to the length of the flights. We also gave them Trazodone to calm them down. It was a challenge but we are staying here for a year. Our certificate for our dogs came a a day before we left!
Did the French authorities requested a proof of vaccines? Which ones? Thank you
@ when we arrive at Orly, the custom agent asked for our passeports. We gave them to the agent and she stamped Our passport and didn’t look at the French visa in the back. We had to show her and the visa and she stamped our passport a second time. She then saw our dogs and waved us through without asking for the FDA certificate! When we arrived in Paris, we had an appointment to see a vet to get our pups a Pet Passport. She examined our certificates and filled out some forms and presented us with a two Pet Passports. The process took 30 minutes. We are now in Bordeaux for the month to finally start to decompress. It has been a long 3 months to get our house vacated and store our possessions.
Mission accomplished for the upcoming year, so let the adventure begin!
@@NoObligationToday I understand the "start to decompress"... Good for you. When the vet at Pet Passports examined your pups, did you have to have a proof of vaccines for them? Did you give them vaccines before to move, or if not, are they giving them a jab after arriving in France. I am asking you because I have a dog who became very ill after vaccines, and since then, I am very cautious. I have 2 Boston. Enjoy Bordeaux!
Thank you for this video. We are moving one way to France this next year and taking two Golden Retrievers in large crate kennels. Problem is..upon arrival in Paris, we will no longer need the dog crate kennels. They are too large and cumbersome to take on the train South with us. Any suggestions as what to do with two, once used dog crates once arrived in France?
I was surprised to hear that the temporary AirBnB rental in France was okay and approved as a residence for your Visa application. I've heard from so many that you really need to have an actual contract of long term (one year) stay. Did I misunderstand your statement of how you first stayed on arrival in France?
We personally had an airbnb for the first month in Lyon, then an airbnb for several months after lined up when we applied for our visas. We used the receipt for visa option on airbnb to print it for our documents.
That was two years ago for us, but we know others more recently that have done the same with no problems.
If you don't have housing lined up long-term, we've heard they may look more closely at your financial resources to make sure you have money available to pay for the remaining months of required housing, but there's nothing that says you must have a long term lease specifically.
The issue with an airbnb is more likely to be later on, as you need to receive mail, set up a bank account, etc, and you need an address to use for all of that. But even with this, you can figure it out if you plan ahead and communicate with owners.
Good luck!
Just to clarify on the QM crossing, they do not stay in the cages for two weeks, there are visiting times, and an area outside the cages.
Doesn't the Consulate General offer assistance and advice on these issues
Animals don’t think too much like human. Dogs live in the moment…and they adapt well provided they are with their owners. We also should think like dogs….sniff sniff, pee on bad days and chase the squirrels on good days!! Life will be so good.
What about pet birds? We have small parrot❤
A Brit would say that your cat/dog has more rights to stay in the Schengen Zone than them after Brexit
It was their choice
@francocanuck indeed and they don't regret it
May I ask what Vet you used in Boulder?
Great video but I am a bit concerned for people I see in the comments that seem to be coming to France for one year + investing all that time to take animals. Two cents of advise from an expat who's lived on 4 continents: One year is really only long enough to miss home and then have the reverse reaction of not feeling like you stayed in your new place of "home" long enough - whether you liked the new home or not. If you took the time to do all this work, invest at least 2-3 years in any place or else you really will not get the experience of living there, because that is the minimum amount of time to start making connections to a place.
And the last point really feeds from this that. France, as a country, has long been a destination of tourism - having been the most visited country in the World for decades now. If you are just in France for a year, French people will think of you as a tourist - and part of the problem. Sadly, they will not be wrong.
Good advice. It does take time to settle in and truly feel 'at home'. After moving to a new place and new culture, the 2nd year is very different from the 1st.
I have been researching this subject for some time now. We are going to be coming over with a 200lb Great Dane/St Bernard rescue and two cats. The cats we are not too worried about, they are small enough for regular commercial flights. Our dog, there are really only two options for, in cargo, or a shared private charter. Bark Air operates shared charters at relatively reasonable rates (compared to getting your own). He is too large for the ship crossing. Even Bark Air is still $8k to $10k as I recall, but, that just appears to be the only option.
Maybe if you keep saying “readers” instead of “viewers”, it's because your subconscious is telling you that the next step will be to write a book.